Gourmet dishes such as Thai-fried rice with basil, pork cutlets smothered with a demiglace in a rice bowl, and stewed beef and rice omelet were designed to be eaten while flying over international datelines.
However, they have recently become go-to options for many people stuck at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has crushed many a fantasy vacation.
As the airline industry struggles through its worst crisis ever, carriers are not the only air travel-related companies that have seen business sputter.
With international flights at airports across Japan suspended or reduced for more than a year now, airline catering services have scrambled to cope with a plunge in demand and are turning to this new market on the ground to survive.
Tokyo reports 573 new COVID-19 cases after two days above 1,000 Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
People walk at a scramble crossing near Shibuya Station in Tokyo earlier this month. | KYODO
Staff report, Jiji, Kyodo May 10, 2021
Tokyo confirmed 573 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, falling below 1,000 for the first time in two days amid growing fears over the spread of more virulent variants of the coronavirus.
Case numbers on Mondays are usually lower than other days since some testing sites are closed over the weekend. The figure also came after the conclusion of the Golden Week holiday period.
A student addresses a meeting of teachers, parents and students to discuss a revision of school rules and other issues at Daito Gakuen High School in Tokyo s Setagaya Ward in November 2019. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
School rules that don t feel right need to be talked over until everybody can agree on what should be changed, and how.
This approach to school life, promoted by the children themselves in some cases, or directed by schools and boards of education in others, is beginning to be widely adopted.
Whichever the case, school rules have a strong bearing on the daily lives of pupils and students. Being involved in the process of determining whether to scrap, continue or add new rules must surely be viewed in the context of helping youngsters to mature into next-generation leaders of society.
Japanese prosecutors have demanded a four-year prison term for former justice minister Kawai Katsuyuki for what they called an unprecedented act of vote-buying by a Diet member.
Kawai is accused of bribing local politicians in Hiroshima Prefecture to help his wife, Kawai Anri, win a seat in the 2019 Upper House election.
In a court session on Friday, prosecutors demanded that Kawai Katsuyuki serve four years in prison and forfeit 1.5 million yen, or about 13,700 dollars.
Prosecutors said Kawai effectively managed his wife s election campaign, as he was aware of her campaign staff s activities and gave them instructions.
They also said Kawai and his wife acted in conspiracy to commit a crime by closely sharing information.
Fumio Kishida, right, and Hidenori Nishita after Nishita’s loss in the Upper House re-election in Hiroshima Prefecture on April 25 (Yuki Shibata)
Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his aspirations to take over the top post in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have taken the biggest hit from the party’s losses in three recent Diet elections.
Kishida took a huge gamble by becoming head of the LDP’s Hiroshima prefectural chapter in March to spearhead the campaign for party candidate Hidenori Nishita.
Scandals had tarred the image of the LDP before the Upper House re-election in the prefecture. But if Kishida could lead Nishita to victory, it would provide momentum toward the LDP presidential race in September, in which Kishida is again expected to challenge Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.